伊甸之东

出版时间：2004-3-1  出版社：上海译文出版社  作者：斯坦贝克  译者：王永年  
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内容概要

特拉斯克家族的第一代赛勒斯伪造参加南北战争的经历，骗取了名誉和财产，并专横地送儿子亚当从军，生性善良的亚当收留了一个重伤的女子卡西，却不料她为人邪恶，抛下亚当和一对孪生子改名换姓开了妓院，后来孪生子又因发现她的秘密而走上不同的生活道路；而另一个家族的家长汉密尔顿却正直、勇敢、智慧，他教育成人的子女都秉承了他的善良性格并各有成就。

书籍目录

第一部
第二部
第三部
第四部
译后记

用户评论 (总计20条)

•   　　 《伊甸之东》看完了。
  　　
  　　 书很厚，最近很忙，所以花的时间很长。
  　　
  　　 排除有些情节过于离奇的毛病，我还是喜欢这本书。之前我说过人物形象饱满的话，现在仍然可以说它是饱满的，但是不如当初那么肯定。看得出作者花了很大的力气力求饱满，只是这样用力之后让我觉得有几分匠气。
  　　
  　　 瑕不掩瑜。
  　　
  　　 作者在这部书里倾注了很多心血进行一些似乎谁都在追寻谁都没有结论的问题，有意思的是，书里还安设了一个份量不轻的中国人“老李”，由他引入了很多中国哲学和中式的思考，这些思考都围绕着人性的善与恶，上帝是怎样在支配他的子民，还有生生死死的轮回。
  　　
  　　 East of Eden，取自圣经故事：亚当与夏娃被逐出伊甸园后，生了该隐和亚伯。该隐出于妒忌，杀了亚伯，上帝惩罚该隐流浪漂泊，该隐便离开上帝，去住在伊甸之东。
  　　
  　　 书中提到老李无意发现几种不同译本的《创世纪》在讲到上帝问该隐为什么发怒时，其中一个版本是这样的：
  　　
  　　 上帝说“你若行得好，岂不蒙悦纳？你若行得不好，罪就伏在门前。他必恋慕你，你却要制服他。”上帝似乎在向该隐保证，他能制服罪恶。
  　　
  　　 另一个版本说中上帝说“你务必制服他。”上帝在这里发出的是居高临下的命令。
  　　
  　　 书里的老李于是跟一些中国的智者一起学习了希伯来语，弄明白原文却是“你可以”。
  　　
  　　 “你却要”是宿命，“你务必”得服从，“你可以”则意味着人可以选择。
  　　
  　　 老李说：这样上帝就给了同神平起平坐的地位，即使他软弱、卑鄙、甚至杀害了自己的弟弟，有种种罪，但他仍旧有选择的余地。
  　　
  　　 人生因此有选择，才成就美妙。
  　　
•   　　这本书买了有一两年了吧，第一次就是没有心情继续读下去。
  　　第二次拿起这本书才把它看完的，出奇的顺利。而且是随手翻到哪页看哪页的。
  　　看书就是看一个故事。Steinbeck 讲述的故事没有太多的铺陈和人物，两家人就两条线，很清晰，很自然。有种行云流水的感觉吧。
  　　印象深的是Cathy ，Lee，和Adam。看了一半才发现作者自己也把自己写了进去，不过着墨不多。
  　　和“Wrath of Grapes" 一样，是一部很好的小说。两本书看了都让人有种悲伤的情结，让人不禁对里面的人物都有丝丝同情怜悯。
•   　　 喜欢这本书的最大理由是饱满的人物形象，和诙谐精到却毫不艰涩的文字。读完这本，也许可以学些讲故事的好办法来吧。
  　　
  　　 翻译也很好，记下译者：王永年。
  　　
  　　
•   　　我看的斯坦贝克的第四本书，便是《伊甸之东》。看到第三部时，不由得问自己：这是斯坦贝克写的么？看《愤怒的葡萄》，第一遍在大一，第二遍在上个月，几乎每看一页眼眶都湿润了。但阅读《伊》时所想的则是：老天，这么厚，啥时能看完呀？！斯坦贝克花了六百来页讲述一个并不如期望中精彩、值得回味的故事，还难逃冗长拖沓的弊病。
  　　《伊》主题的立足点是《旧约•创世纪》：每个人都是该隐的后代，都像他一样背负着罪孽活在世上，罪恶会时不时爆发出来；我们始终逃不出祖先的命运与诅咒。斯坦贝克以这个为蓝本创造了迦勒与阿伦这对孪生兄弟，哥哥嫉妒弟弟的才能与他所获得的宠爱，用卑鄙的手段打垮了弟弟的自尊与对美好的追求，使他怀着万念俱灰的绝望战死沙场。迦勒一直努力地使自己讨父亲喜欢，可成果微茫。他让阿伦了解到，他们的母亲是个下劣的人，还抢去了他弟弟的女友。亚当弥留之际，他抬起右手，像上帝一样宽恕了长子，迦勒带着罪恶印记活下去。在某种意义上，迦勒被流放了，生与死永远隔开了他与他的弟弟跟父亲，他将孤独地生存下去，同他所继承的土地一起衰老。
  　　如果第三代的孪生兄弟影射该隐与亚伯，第二代的亚当与查尔斯则有着雅各和以扫的寓意。查尔斯始终认为父亲偏爱他哥哥亚当，但亚当发现父亲是通过伪造参军履历发家致富的，故意疏远父亲。亚当的孩子其实是卡西与查尔斯生下的，不过真相对他来说不重要了。
  　　《伊》中那么多剧情，都离不开《圣经》，斯坦贝克并没有升华出自己的东西，炒《旧约》的冷饭太没有创意。《愤怒的葡萄》中，凯西说：“自己的灵魂不过是一个大灵魂的一小部分。”汤姆将之理解为：“联合大众斗争才有出路，他不是孤独一人。”《烦恼的冬天》中，郝雷说：“世上有一种光的汇合，有一种全世界的篝火，这话是不对的。每个人都只发着自己的光，他自己那孤独的光。”而《伊》只绕着《创世纪》那几句老话在打转。
  　　不得不谈谈老李这个人，在亚当家做帮工的那位。他开导了两代人，可他不能算强者。赛缪死后，他的梦想仿佛也跟着死掉了。老李只能引导比自己弱的人，一边回忆过去，一边品着五加皮酒。他身上有一种传奇性，跟《伊》不太合拍。
  　　《伊》让我再一次领略到了希伯来语的神奇魅力。亚当临终前说的“蒂姆舍尔”，真是“你可以”之意吗？
  　　
•   　　In East of Eden, the central concern of the novel is the perpetual battle between good and evil. And this battle is not only between the good people and evil people, but also between the good impulses and bad impulses within one person. Steinbeck presents his idea about the nature of human being by retelling the biblical story of Cain and Abel, as he thought the Cain and Abel story has been played repeatedly in countless generations of mankind. The main characters of the story are the twins brothers in Trask family, Adam and Charles, and the descendants of Adam, Aron and Cal, who happen also to be the twins brothers. These two pairs of brother respectively represent the different generations of Cain and Abel. This hidden allegory can be detected through the initial letter of the characters’ name. Adam and Aron are deemed to possess the innocence and good nature of Abel, whereas Charles and Cal are manipulative and vague just like Cain. Although the novel is under the perception that the characters with an initial letter C are bad and with letter A are good, there are some significant changes and developments in the different generations of Cain and Abel. And those changes and developments are primarily due to the idea of timshel, which is the core concept of author of the novel about what human being could do and should do in dealing with the good and evil issues.
  　　The Hebrew word timshel, occurs in Cain and Abel story when God speaks to Cain about the sin Cain committed. Thus, it is vital to acquire the proper interpretation of this word in order to thoroughly know about the good and evil of human being. But, the word is also abstruse to understand and has a variety of meanings that numerous people used to ignore and simply thought it as a promise or commandment from God. In East of Eden, however, the Chinese servant Lee, unsatisfied with the conventional translation of timshel, devotes himself to researching this problem and exams it word by word. Eventually, with the help of a branch of Chinese scholars who are perceive of human history and especially study Hebrew for this problem, Lee succeeds to find out the deeper meaning inside the word itself and define that timshel means “thou mayest” which is distinct from the general translations and the very first time asserts that despite all the original sins inherited from our ancestors, human beings are capable of choosing to be good or evil on our own. “Don’t you see?” he cried. “The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel— ‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’”(Chapter 24 page 301)
  　　Neither to be an unbreakable promise from God that sins will be triumphed for no doubt, nor to be an absolute order that all men must spare no effort to conquer the sins, timshel, in Lee’s opinion indicates that by blessing human beings with free will to ponder and judge, God has given us the choice to decide whether to overcome sin or not and by that, more essentially bestowed us the freedom to choose the life we would like to have. According to this theory, nothing in one’s life is predestined and no one is doomed to hell just because of his nature or the legacy from their parents. It is what we choose to be that makes us good or evil. To be good or evil is merely our decision and entirely up to us. By establishing the theory of timshel, Lee is attempting to point out that on one hand, there is nothing in our lives that we can take for granted and therefore we should strive for washing away our own sins, however, on the other hand, we should never give up and turn to be cynical since our own future depends upon our own choices. Even if we made a serious mistake and committed a severe sin, such as murdering just like what Cain did, we still have chance to choose to fight against our bad nature and make it right. ” Now, there are many millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, ‘Do thou,’ and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in ‘Thou shalt.’ Nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. But ‘Thou mayest’! Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win.” (Chapter 24 page 302)
  　　Given the idea of timshel, if you desire to be a good man, then be active in performing good deeds and do not expect you can gain any good results without doing anything. Nevertheless, if you come across any troubles or lapse into evilness, be positive and faithful in yourself and do not lose your hope for being a good person, because you still can get it through your choices to start pursuing the good of human beings. Lee admits although sometimes on account of our own weakness, it is difficult doing good deeds constantly, the autonomy that comes from the freedom of choices provides us with courage and resolution to continue. “You can never lose that. It cuts the feet from under weakness and cowardliness and laziness.” (Chapter 24 page 302) Briefly speaking, we should have a balance between in Pollyanna’s optimism and absolute pessimism, and we can get energy from timshel. That is what Lee tries to communicate with us.
  　　But in Steinbeck’s opinion, the importance of timshel is much more than that. The whole concept of timshel, namely the freedom of choice, is foundation of the glory of human beings and is what constitutes the value of existence of every individual. Without it, life means nothing. “And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual…. If the glory can be killed, we are lost.”(Chapter 13 page131) Hence, when Cal accepts the idea of timshel, he realize unlike his mother Cathy, he is not a evil monster, but only a flawed human being who could and should be a good man and obtain the salvation of himself by his struggle to fight against the evil part inside himself. Enormously as Cal has been influenced by his mother’s pure evil, his destiny is not all inherited and he is not doomed to act out the characteristics with which he is born. He still has opportunities to be redeemed and change his evil nature. “Maybe you’ll come to know that every man in every generation is re-fired. ……all impurities burned out and ready for a glorious flux, and for that- more fire. And then either the slag heap or, perhaps what no one in the world ever quite gives up, perfection.”(Chapter 55 page 598)Obviously, timshel is a powerful weapon to defy the moral determinism. So, the author keeps it un-translated to be a symbol of someone who finally is redeemed for his sins and free of the chain of destiny.
  　　Thus, Adam’s last word timshel actually is the final blessing for Cal, which not only symbolizes his endeavors and struggles for the good is ultimately acknowledged but also indicates all the sins that passed down through generations from his ancestors have been diminished. It is a supreme moment of redemption for Cal. Similar with the biblical story Cain and Abel, in which the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one will kill him and he lead a peaceful life, the blessing of timshel makes Cal could move on and completely overcome the agony of the past and live a happier life with his wife. By embracing the idea of timshel, Cal succeeds to get rid of the legacy of his parents as the dominance over his fate. By ending his novel this way, Steinbeck try to affirm that timshel, the freedom to choose between good and evil, does really exist, and only with the idea of timshel, could you make your life meaningful, valuable and worth living.
  　　
•   　　初中时看CIPHER(双星记)提到一部根据这个小说改的电影
  　　
  　　很好奇
  　　
  　　在大学图书馆看到,就借来看
  　　
  　　本书还算可以,但是对双胞胎母亲,个人不是很喜欢
  　　
  　　有印象的描写还是CIPHER提到的经典台词"让你的孩子活下去"
  　　
  　　
•   　　读这本书 得花时间。不过之前 我建议先去读圣经，这样对故事更好理解。我最感兴趣的是里面那个变态的女人……
•   　　Lee, the Chinese-American housekeeper for the Trask family, is my favorite character in East of Eden. He is forced to speak in the Chinese pidgin dialect that enables him to survive in America. An orphan, he raises Adam's children after they are abandoned by Cathy. (He even plays a mother's role in the family to some extent.)
  　　
  　　Lee often affects a Chinese pidgin accent to play into Americans' expectations of him. A philosophical man, he frequently gives voice to the novel's themes, including the crucial idea of "timshel". (The individual or personal choice that whether to be good or evil. He mentions the similar conception as "Shen Du". However, the meaning of "Shen Du" should be "self-supervision" or "self-restraining in privacy" as the most important thinking of Confucius. Whatever, I still admire Steinbeck for his broad knowledge fields.)
  　　
  　　His story of his own birth is the most appalling chapter in the novel. Although I learned some history about Chinese-American when I was in high school before, I still be infected by his story, which describes an absolute love. It goes beyond the notions of good and evil, it even goes beyond people and gods, since it affects the members of a different cult, profession and race alike, sometimes leading the Trask family to overcome their weak point.
  　　
  　　After Sam died, Lee plays a vital role in Trask family. In my opinion, Sam enlightens Lee and Adam, and gives them the courage and determination. So I am really happy when Adam or Cal visited Cathy without any depression and cowardice. The good overcomes the evil again and again, Sam says the twins of Trask are weapons of Adam, and Lee shapes them. In choosing to stay with his master when he could easily strike out on his own, and it is his "timshel". Steinbeck tries to investigate Lee as a type of the assimilated American, but seems drawn back to portraying him as an oriental individuals.
  　　
  　　There can be no good without evil. This book is really full of "Timshel".
  　　
  　　(I will write a larger comment to praise this book after finishing it~ :)
•   　　蒂姆谢尔，这是希伯来文。《圣经.旧约.创世纪》第四章，亚当的儿子该隐杀了他的亲兄弟亚伯，耶和华给了该隐一个记号，让他去住在伊甸园东边挪得之地。耶和华说，“他必恋慕你，你却要制服他。”“他”，是指罪恶，“却要”，却并不准确，原文是“蒂姆谢尔”，这句的意思是“你可以制服罪恶”。
  　　
  　　这句话是我从我根本就不了解的圣经故事中学到的一点点，也许就是这本600多页的小说的精华了。人类，都是该隐的后代，能爱，能恨，你有选择的权力，“你可以”，给了人类选择的权力，你可以选择做那个你想要做的人，你可以拒绝你心中日益膨胀的罪恶，你可以对所谓天生的或者世俗的善恶说不，然后进行你自己的判断。
  　　
  　　然而故事本身，却可以那样徐徐展开，人间百态，尽收眼底。然而转角处却常常惊心动魄。我看到人性缺失的丑恶，惊恐不能入睡，仿佛真的见到恶魔附身的人，只好继续看下去，看到罪恶暂时不能张狂，才能安心下来。读过半，愈发不能停止，只觉得故事向着我不能预见的方向发展，驱赶着我，停不下来。只好一口气读到最后一页，那个中了风的老人－－被同父异母的弟弟妒忌而差点被弟弟所杀的沉默的男孩，在战场上杀过无数陌生的印第安人的士兵，流浪多年被抓去修路精心策划了逃跑的年轻人，爱上了夏娃险些失去生命沉沦了多年的两个双胞胎的父亲，始终不肯承认父亲的遗产是贪污而来靠着这些钱好好生活了一辈子的装糊涂的人，自己的一个儿子导致了另一个儿子的死亡的可怜的老父亲－－这个人的名字叫做“亚当”，最终挣扎着说出的几个字，“蒂姆谢尔”！
  　　
  　　掩卷，长吁，小说有时比生活还真实！
•   　　读斯坦贝克的《伊甸之东》，感觉到一种很稀有的吸引力。小说将近七百页，读起来却毫无对厚书的恐惧感。两个家族的家族历史，娓娓道来，叙述与抒情当中夹杂着准确妥帖的议论，朴素而充满力量。情节不复杂，却能深刻而精确的反映人性的种种面貌。据说这本小说在作者的作品中并不怎样显眼，相对于最著名的《愤怒的葡萄》，评价与销量都平常(最近的消息是由于欧普拉•温弗莉的大力推荐，这本小说又奇迹般的畅销起来)，然而作者对人与世界的关注和忧患都会深深地打动读者的心。
  　　
  　　印象很深刻的一段议论(王永年译，上海译文版，P147)：“在我们的时代，成批或者集体生产进入了经济、政治甚至宗教领域，以致某些国家已经用集体这个概念代替了上帝的概念。在我们的时代，这就是危险所在。……人类是唯一有创造力的物种，人类只有一个进行创造的东西。……如今，集结在集体概念周围的力量向人的头脑，这个可贵之处，发动了赶尽杀绝的战争。在毁谤、饥饿、镇 压、强迫命令和制约的沉重打击下，自由徜徉的头脑遭到了纠缠、束缚、钝化和麻醉。人类走上的似乎是一条自杀的道路。”
  　　
  　　“我深信不疑的是：个人的自由、探索的头脑是世上最宝贵的东西。我为之奋斗的是：头脑要有随心选择其发展方向，不受支配的自由。我必须反对的是：限制或毁掉个人的任何思想、宗教或者政府。这就是我的主张和努力方向。我能理解为什么一个按一定模式建立起来的制度千方百计地要毁掉自由思想，因为自由思想能通过检验摧毁这样一个制度。这一点我完全能理解，我恨她，要跟他斗，以便维护哪个是我们有别于不具备创造能力的动物的唯一的东西。如果自豪感能被扼杀，我们也完了。”
  　　
  　　想来作者看到了许多令他忧心的事情，诙谐者如规定敲鸡蛋方案的小人国，沉重者如电幕外面的老大哥。他只是说出自己的想法，不加虚饰和曲笔，坚定捍卫自己为人的权利。如作者倾诉的心声，他几尽理想化地塑造出塞缪尔•汉密尔顿和他的家族，与他自己的先民一般勤劳勇敢，在河谷过着自由平静的生活。人之理想化与虚伪无涉，正直善良富有想象力便是了不得的高贵品德了。没有希奇，能用心地做人；人之不能为人，大脑已然无创造之自由，结果即是猜忌与留言，从经年累月顺序的变更嗅出什么大震荡，便十足的了不起了。
  　　
  　　说起文风朴素，但是到关键时刻的平静倒隐隐有希区柯克式的紧张，这种滋味，实在妙不可言。
•   我也觉得翻译很不错。
•   因为你的回应，我忽然想起全本读完之后，我还写了一些东西的，刚才也找来贴出来了：）
•   等我全读完之后再去拜读
•   《伊》是我第一次接触圣经，对于带着罪恶被宽恕的该隐比较有感触~
•   好巧，我也是因为双星记才看这本书。漫画不知看了多少遍。
•   So have u finished the book yet? I just finished it and tried to find different comments from people. Nice comments though~
•   yes, exactly. I did finish this book (perhaps one year ago), but I still cannot forget these characters. I really appreciate Adam finally forgave his son by using "timshel". Everyone can change his destiny, and determine his own life.
•   挥不去的印象
•   亚当后来生了赛特和其他儿女 创世纪中有记载 人类怎么都是该隐的后代？
•   很久之前读的这本书，是我读过的书中最好的一本。如楼主所说，厚厚的一本，却有足够的吸引力让我从第一页马不停蹄的翻到最后一页。呵呵。